Three-dimensional simulation of drop motion in channels of different cross-sections

Abstract

Three-dimensional Boundary Element Method accelerated using a heterogeneous Fast Multipole Method is employed to study two-phase flow in a microchannel of different cross-sections. The flow of a mixture of two Newtonian liquids with equal viscosities and densities is described by Stokes equations. A comparison of the simulation results of the droplet dynamics in cylindrical capillaries with experimental data available in the literature was carried out and showed the qualitative agreement. The deformable droplet motion is considered in a channel with a circle, square, and hexagon cross-sectional shape. The influence of droplet size on a relative velocity in a channel is studied. The applied approach to numerical simulation can be used to solve a wide range of problems related to emulsion flows in microscales.